OCONOMOWOC 鈥 Months after the statues were removed from Oz Plaza for updates and repairs, the concrete and the bricks upon which they stood have also been ripped out to make way for a whole new magical escape to the land of Munchkins, flying monkeys and good and bad witches.
The work to renovate and expand Oz Plaza, located next to City Hall, is being done as the city prepares to celebrate the premiere of the iconic "The Wizard of Oz" movie in Oconomowoc 85 years ago. A showing of the movie on a giant screen in downtown Oconomowoc for Midnight Movies will be Aug. 15. Other commemorative events will be held throughout the year.
As far as Oz Plaza is concerned, two new statues will be added: Glinda the Good Witch and The Coroner. The original statues that include Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Lion, the Wicked Witch of the West and the Wizard of Oz were erected for the 80th anniversary in the plaza. They will make their return for the big unveil of the expanded urban park in June.
Other updates will be to the plaza itself, which will be entirely redone, including new concrete work and expanding it to be more accessible to the foot traffic walking along Fowler Lake behind City Hall. More electricity will be added so the space is more conducive to gatherings.
